MAGNIFICENT
CAMBERLEY,
A
SPIRITUAL RETREAT
A
SANCTUARY FOR WILDLIFE
IS
BEING SOLD
TO
A DEVELOPER
So
what about
The
Tekels Park Deer ?
Not
a protected species and could be slaughtered
Resident
for centuries but could starve to death
if
their foraging area is reduced or destroyed.
Development
could cut off their feeding routes
or
access to water.
They only have 50 acres to start with
(small for
badgers), enclosed on three sides by urban
development and on one side by the M3
motorway.
Legal
Protection ?
Tekels Park
has been designated a
SITE
OF NATURE CONSERVATION INTEREST
(SNCI)
This
sounds impressive but unfortunately it carries
NO
STATUTORY PROTECTION
This
gift from a church member and place of
worship
since 1931 is also being sold and the
congregation
will have to negotiate for
permission
to worship there.
The
people who decided
to
sell Tekels Park
?
Try
finding any.
Selling
a sanctuary for wildlife to a developer
could
turn Tekels Park
into a death camp for
animals.
Management don’t want to talk about
this
and are now hard to find items.
It
is difficult to see how the existence of deer in
The
clearing of land for building would certainly involve
the
slaughter of the Tekels park Deer.
Tekels Park
advertises itself as a Spiritual Retreat and
a
wildlife sanctuary but news of the sale to a developer
has
prompted many to raise serious concerns about the
fate
of the Tekels Park
Deer Badgers and other wildlife.
Tekels Park is a 50 acre woodland estate near Camberley, Surrey, England,
It is owned by the Theosophical Society (Adyar) in England and has been a
Spiritual Centre since 1929. The sale to a developer is surrounded by secrecy
but news is now leaking out and many are unhappy.
Tekels Park has always been a great source of pride to members of the
Theosophical Society and this decision represents a fundamental change in
attitude by the leadership.
_______________
What
Could This Mean ?
A Deer in the
Snow
Concerns are now being raised about the fate of the deer and other
wildlife as Tekels Park
in Camberley,
Tekels Park
is sanctuary for animal wildlife including deer, foxes, squirrels,
badgers, bats, newts and stoats, and for birdlife including sparrowhawks,
woodpeckers, tawny owls and many more. There are many species of trees
including 3 types of redwood, ginkgo, eucalyptus, red oak, tall magnolias and
lebanese cedars.
The effect on the wildlife will be devastating and of particular concern
is the fate of the deer. Although afforded protection from cruelty under
As with badgers, any reduction in their foraging area
could mean starvation although in the case of deer, their plight would
be more obvious and some would have to be killed.
Part of
Badgers have been
residents of
Badger setts are
protected by law but there is concern that development will destroy the badgers’
foraging area, on which they depend.
Protection for badgers’
foraging area is less clearly defined than for setts and developers can legally
use heavy machinery 30 metres from the entrance to a sett and dig manually at
10 metres.
The minimum foraging
area for a badger sett is around 30 acres and as Tekels Park is 50 acres
surrounded by urban development and the M3 motorway, even a small level of
development could wipe out the badgers.
_______________
Anger
& Dismay
There is widespread anger and dismay at decision to sell Tekels Park
to a developer. The Theosophical movement is shocked to hear the news and many
of the English Society’s 200 members had no idea this was happening as the
leadership made no official announcement at the time the decision was taken. A
brief reference was made on page 21 of the last issue of the now defunct
Insight Magazine in February 2010 but this does not mention that the sale is to
a developer.
This quotation gives some idea of the importance of
“I know many people in the TS
(Theosophical Society) and Theosophical Movement think of
Theosophical Society in
After some uncertainty, the 2010 Tekels Park camp is due to go ahead
even though the young people attending will certainly be aware of the fate of
the park and the inevitable impact on the wildlife. Any agreement regarding the
future use of
Although the Tekels Park Guest House is still being used for Theosophical
Society events, many now feel unable to stay there, knowing what may now happen
to the park and the wildlife. No mention is made of the sale on the
Madeleine Leslie-Smith, a long-term resident of
_______________
Dedicated to St
Francis of Assisi
Located on the
Tekels Park Estate
Place of worship of the Liberal Catholic Church
Disquiet amongst Liberal Catholic Church
Members over loss of control of the building
St
Francis Church
St Francis Church was
registered as a place of worship in 1931 by the Liberal Catholic Church
The
St Francis Church Altar
There is disquiet amongst Liberal Catholic Church members that although St
Francis Church may not face demolition, they will only be allowed to use the
building courtesy of the new owner of Tekels Park
and that the building may be made available to other groups.
The Liberal Catholic Church was founded by a member of the Theosophical
Society in 1915 and has remained an integral part of the Theosophical Movement.
Selling the Gift
The St Francis church building was a gift from Theosophical Society and
Liberal Catholic Church member Josephine Chambres in 1930. This is a
consecrated church.
St Francis of
Patron Saint of Animals and the Environment
St Francis of
Born in
St Francis is the Patron Saint of Animals
and the
Environment. These must have been
important
considerations in dedicating a church in
his name
but the association appears now to be
inconvenient
to the
The Liberal Catholic Church
The Liberal Catholic Church came into existence as the result of a
complete re-organization in 1915-16 of the Old Catholic Church in
(From the Statement of Principles
of The Liberal Catholic Church, eight edition, 1986)
______________
The
__________________
Theoversity
Position Compromised
As Compassion for
Animals Becomes
The Theoversity
was established by the Theosophical Society in
____________________
Who’s
Behind the
The whole deal is
shrouded in so much secrecy that even the majority of the Theosophical Society’s
actual card carrying members don’t appear to know what is happening but here
are some contact points.
The
Theosophical Society in
Tel
0207 563 9817
Please note that there
is more than one Theosophical Society. Only the Theosophical Society with its
headquarters at
The Theosophical Society
administers the
The Tekels
Park Estate Limited
RH15 9AE,
It is reported on some
newsboards that the Tekels Park Estate Limited hope to get £6Million for the
Estate but this may be optimistic at this difficult economic time. Members are
at a loss to know why the leadership ignored professional advice in 2009 not to
sell Tekels Park
When
one looks at how the sale of
developer will affect the wildlife and St
Francis
Church,
it is easy to see why the
management
have tried to keep it quiet.
______________________
Using
Tekels Park
After
It’s
Been Sold ?
What’s
that all about ?
Reports
have appeared on the internet that
there
will be an agreement between the
Theosophical Society in England
and
the
developer, by which the Society will be
able
to use Tekels Park,
after it has been
sold
to the developer.
Even
if this is true, and many members don’t
actually
believe it, the following questions arise;
Whose
lawyers are drawing up this agreement ?
Will
the Theosophical
Society in England members
get
to see it before it is signed ?
Has
a legal opinion as to the enforceability of
any
such agreement been obtained ?
Will
the Theosophical
Society in England
have
to pay to use Tekels Park
?
______________________
____________________
From
the Website Owner:- Dave Marsland
I am dedicated to the
future of the Tekels Park animals and have created this website in support of
saving them.
My main concern in
posting information on this, and related websites, is to draw attention to the
sale of the 50 acre sanctuary for wildlife to a property developer and the
inevitable deaths of the animals by slaughter or habitat destruction.
The killing of the
Tekels Park animals would be an obscenity and as a long standing student of
Theosophy, I cannot turn a blind eye.
I maintain that the
Tekels Park management and the Theosophical Society in England leadership have
attempted to keep the fate of the Park and its wildlife from public attention
and the attention of the Theosophical Society in England members.
Dave Marsland
You may contact me on davemarsland@aardvarktheosophy.co.uk
_____________________________________
Tekels
Park Family Eviction
A family with two
children of school age has been evicted from
their home on the
Tekels Park Estate because a Director
of the Tekels
Park Estate Limited wanted to live in their house.
Future of Tekels Park Badgers Now in Doubt
Concerns about Tekels Park Wildlife
Tekels Park
& The Loch Ness Monster
Theosophical
Society in England
Article
describing Tekels Park and its much
cherished
wildlife by Theosophist and long
term Tekels Park Resident Madeleine Leslie Smith
Tekels Park is Being Sold to a Developer